Category: News Commentary

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a label extension for Evrysdi® (risdiplam) to include babies under two months old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The approval is based on interim efficacy and safety data from the RAINBOWFISH study in newborns, which showed that the majority of pre-symptomatic babies treated with Evrysdi achieved key milestones such as sitting and standing with half walking after 12 months of treatment.

While the U.S. spends twice as much on cancer care as the average high-income country, its cancer mortality rates are only slightly better than average, according to a new analysis by researchers at Yale University and Vassar College.

The results were published May 27 in JAMA Health Forum.

19 – 20 September 2022, London, United Kingdom.
The Aseptic processing industry has seen consistent growth in recent years, with advances in innovative therapeutics, the introduction of novel techniques and personnel protocols, the integration of robotics and automation in filling lines, and rise of rapid microbiological methods being just a few of the factors driving this growth.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and its subsidiary TIB Molbiol have developed three unique LightMix® Modular Virus kits in response to recent monkeypox virus concerns. Multiple clusters of the monkeypox virus have been reported within the past two weeks in several European countries and North America, which are regions where the virus is not normally found.

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria (ChAdOx1-S [Recombinant]), has been granted approval in the European Union (EU) by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) as a third dose booster in adults.

Healthcare professionals can now use Vaxzevria as a third dose booster in patients previously given a primary vaccine schedule of either Vaxzevria or an EU-approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today launched ‘An Accord for a Healthier World.’ This groundbreaking initiative aims to provide all of Pfizer’s patented, high-quality medicines and vaccines available in the U.S. or the European Union on a not-for-profit basis to 1.2 billion people in 45 lower-income countries. The Accord seeks to greatly reduce the health inequities that exist between many lower-income countries and the rest of the world.

The U.S. federal government spent an estimated $1.8 billion in Medicare funds in 2019 on drugs whose clinical benefits have yet to be confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration, a new study led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

The bottom of the ocean is full of mysteries but scientists have recently uncovered one of its best-kept secrets. For 25 years, drug hunters have been searching for the source of a natural chemical that had shown promise in initial studies for treating cancer. Now, researchers at University of Utah Health report that easy-to-find soft corals – flexible corals that resemble underwater plants – make the elusive compound.

Researchers with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) have identified a new molecular drug target that could result in new cancer drugs with fewer side effects.

Previous studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) ­- a potent cytokine (signaling protein) – and dopamine (a neurotransmitter/neurohormone) ­­play essential roles in many physiological and pathological functions.

Drug shortages pose a significant public health threat as they can delay, and in some cases, even deny critically needed care for patients. Over the past decade, the FDA’s efforts have contributed to fewer new drug shortages and reduced the time to resolve existing drug shortages. This is due, in part, to authorities the agency now has, including those added by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.